Jiwa Singapura

Location: Tysons Corner, NOVA

Cuisine: Singaporean

Website: https://jiwasingapura.com/

This place newly opened in the Tysons Galleria mall under the same chef of Cranes, one of my favorite restaurants in DC so I had to go check it out. It was also my first time having Singaporean cuisine so I had some high hopes for it. Needless to say, it did not disappoint.

Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Value: 7/10

We wanted to sample a bit of everything so we ordered 2 entrees and 2 of their appetizers, which they categorized under “Singaporean street food”. The roti prata was made perfectly, soft with a crisp outer shell with great flavor. The curry sauce was a bit light for my taste, I would have liked it to be a little stronger in flavor. We also ordered the Sweet and Sour Pork, which I enjoyed very much. I did not expect pork belly to be used for it, but it was a pleasant surprise. The sauce was well balanced and not too heavy, and the jasmine rice that came was it was also cooked perfectly. Overall a very enjoyable dish.

For main courses, we ordered the Nasi Lemak and the Chili Crab, both of which we enjoyed very much. The Nasi Lemak was made very well, and seasoned well, and the coconut rice was absolutely delicious and complemented the dish very well. The fish was very lightly fried and very crispy, giving it a nice crunch while not being too oily or heavy. The chili crab was also delicious, the sauce complemented the snow crab well and had a nice kick to it. Only complaint I would have is the price, as it was almost $40 for the dish. Obviously, snow crab legs are inherently expensive, but it’s still not something I would order every time but a nice novelty dish to have time to time since it can be hard to obtain high quality snow crab legs and cook them well other than simply steaming them.

Besides the food, I ordered The Singapore Girl drink, and it was absolutely lovely. One of the best drinks i’ve had a restaurant. It was a nice refreshing gin based drink and it came topped with ube foam, which I found very unique and once mixed gave the drink a nice light purple hue.

Overall, the food and everything was great, I would definitely recommend this place as a higher end restaurant, since the prices were definitely higher than the typical restaurant. Other than the food, the only real complaint I do have is that the restaurant layout is a bit tight for the kind of ambiance they try to create and as a result it can get a bit loud during dinner service, especially as it fills up. Otherwise, the ambiance of the restaurant is great, with very nice decorations and a wide open view into the kitchen, similar to what you would see in Hell’s Kitchen. I will definitely be returning to try some more of their dishes and drinks; it helps being very centrally located in the popular Tysons Corner area, easy to shop around during the day and head over to grab lunch or dinner here.

Bill: $128 for 2 including tax and tip (22%), ~$105 pre-tip

2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and an alcoholic drink